Additionally, the company has hired Gabe Klein in the role of Chief Operating Officer. Most recently Klein was Commissioner of the DOT in Chicago under Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and prior to that was Director of the Washington D.C. DOT under Mayor Adrian Fenty, as well as a VP at ZipCar.

Bridj launched beta service this past June and thousands of Bostonians have already taken rides. Both the funding and the addition of Gabe will allow Bridj to expand nationally and beyond, according to the company.

The pilots will include a combination of dedicated bus-only lanes that take bus riders out of car congestion, technology to time traffic signals so that buses get more green lights, and platforms that allow riders to “level-board” the bus quickly as they would a subway.

The MetroHealth Line was developed as part of a naming rights agreement between RTA and The MetroHealth System, executed earlier this year, to rebrand the No. 51 family of routes. Those routes have the second highest bus ridership after the HealthLine.